火山列岛 02

This is a view of the Pacific as seen from space-

a vast expanse of water that covers almost a third of the Earth’s surface.

Today, only 1% of this vast ocean is land,

and much of it owes its existence to the explosive powers of volcanoes like Kavachi.

1,500 miles north of the equator,

perhaps the most famous group of volcanic islands in the world -

Hawaii, still one of the most volcanically active areas on Earth.

And this is Kilauea. Like all volcanoes, it’s plumbed into the very heart of the Earth - home to a lot of hot, angry rock.

Rising from 60 mile below the ocean’s floor,

this lava has flowed nonstop for 25 years.

On the lower slopes, the lava travels at less than 100 meters an hour,

betraying little of its awesome power.

Nothing can survive this smouldering blanket.

As the crust cools, it is lifted by the lava still flowing beneath it.

The advance is relentless and unpredictable, changing direction without notice.

Roads here are regularly swept away and some are now buried under 35 meters of rock.

In the last 20 years, more than 200 homes have been destroyed by Kilauea’s flow.

And it doesn’t stop here.